PERSONAL HISTORY

This Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography is not for the impatient or faint-hearted. Katherine Graham makes extensive use of detail through the painstaking recounting of conversation and reading of correspondence. Francis Cassidy's performance reinforces the impression that, while Graham often denigrates her role and influence, she was never a woman to be underestimated or trifled with. Cassidy tells the story as one who knows it well, giving a restrained, somewhat detached reading consistent with the tenor of the writing; she allows subtleties of humor, frustration and rather tightly controlled emotions to come through in an appropriate manner. She ably captures the steely determination and thoughtful sense of purpose that underlie most of the events and experiences as Graham recounts them. Although the length is a bit daunting, the audio format works well. J.E.M. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 99]